The development of integrated circuits utilized to provide logic and memory functions for a wide range of applications from computers to telecommunications equipment, business equipment and industrial control systems and a host of consumer products has sponsored two trends in interconnection. The first trend is toward higher densities where electrical interconnections between integrated circuit leads and electrical packaging devices and eventually functioning devices have become greater with center to center spacings ever closer together. The second trend is that the numbers of interconnections in a given area have increased to a point of forcing the dimensions of contacts and terminals to become so small as to create difficulties of manufacture and assembly. Thus, for example, the centerline spacings of 0.100 inches employing pins or their equivalent on the order of 0.050 inches in diameter with pin counts of on the order of fifty to one hundred fifty have yielded under this pressure to pin counts in excess of five hundred employing pins having diameters of under 0.020 inches in diameter. High pin counts have in turn generated another problem which is related to the insertion forces of I.C. packages having hundreds of pins. This has in turn generated families of so called zero insertion force or low insertion force connectors which employ complex and expensive mechanical means to open spring contacts allowing pin insertion at zero or low force and thereafter close such contacts to effect a mass interconnection.
The invention accordingly has as a principal object the provision of a connector interconnect system which facilitates the use of large numbers of interconnection devices on close centerlines for high density electronic packaging. The invention has a further object to provide a simple and reliable contact which may be driven for connect and disconnect functions by simple and common driving means. A still further object to is to provide an improved interconnection concept having fewer parts than heretofore available and capable of being rendered in extremely small cross-sectional profile.
Yet another object is to provide an interconnection scheme wherein a large number of interconnects may be actuated by pressure generating means operating on all contacts to effect a connect or disconnect function.
The final object of the invention is to provide an interconnect which has either a zero insertion force or a very low insertion force with respect to a mating contact.